The Little World

You may find yourself asking this question when you read this column – or any of the other fine bits of sticky literature* I write. The humour column, the camera column, or the commercial photo column. The last named is, of course, written for money…I’m not ashamed to get paid for typing.

But what of this one – the scale model building column. Chances are you’re a scale modeller too, and you may well be a far better one than I. And you might be doing much the same thing – recording your building efforts. If you get paid in money or free kits that’s BRILLIANT! Good for you. Raise your prices annually and spend the money on new gear.

Note – no-one pays me for the scale model column – and no revue stuff, either. Not even a free bottle of paint. I’ve hinted…God knows I’ve hinted…but hobby shop owners have hearts made of adamantite and tills that remind you of Arkwright’s monster in ” Open All Hours “. So I pays me way with me own brass.

Okay, that’s the moral position established. I am neither bought nor kept. So why am I writing? Particularly, why am I writing when you know more than I do and have built more things than i’ll ever be able to? Simple. I write to organise my mind. And it is the same with the other columns. If I do not understand a subject, I write about it until I do. You get to look over my shoulder while I type.

For instance – I am about to engage in more model building for a special show in May. That’s a long time, but I want to do a lot of things. The models I build are sitting in boxes on the bench right now, but many of them will not be the thing that was kitted – there will be new fittings, colours, or insignia. I need to do research and pray that there will be someone on the net who has photographed what I want to make. I’m delighted if someone else has made a model of something that I desire – I’m not put off by that at all. As I do it, I’ll be learning more about the real thing.

I also write to warn others of some of the traps that the model culture has – not just the technological things like exploding balsa wood or poisonous decals. I also warn about how your mind and body can go if you are not careful. I practice not being careful carefully.

I guess I write to talk to myself and to tell myself that I am doing the right or wrong thing. Don’t worry – I pay as little attention to myself as you might, and we are all wiser for it.

*Sticky literature can be slapped onto a velour couch and will stay there for weeks.